Mario Kart: A Rookie's Journey
by Matt1251
Summary: It's Mario Kart as you've never seen it before! All your favorite Mario characters battle it out for a shot at becoming the Mario Kart Champion, and the million coins that comes with it. Twists and turns will wrack the tracks, figuratively and literally, as a certain mushroom figure starts his journey to the top.
1. The Invitation

**Hello guys, I'm back with another story! I was searching for a story on the subject of this matter, and it was very, very good. So I thought, 'Why don't I put my spin on this thing?' Read, review, and, as always, enjoy!**

Chapter 1: The Invitation

It all started with a ring at the doorbell of the Kinopio house. A certain mushroom figure went to answer it.

"This is for you." the mailman stated, as he handed the figure the letter.

"Thank you." the figure replied back. "Have a nice afternoon." The mailman walked away, leaving the figure by the door. Dressed in blue, with a red spotted cap on his head, Toad went back inside, only to rip open the letter. He skimmed it. The letter read:

Dearest Toad and Toadette,

I am very pleased to inform you two that you guys have placed second and third, respectively, in the qualification time trial round. This means that you are now eligible to compete in the Champion's Cup. Since you two are now competitors, this letter will explain the rules.

The cup will consist of seventeen races, sixteen cup races plus the finale. This means that there will be twenty competitors. Also, all the racers will race at once, with the last place racer in the sixteen preliminary races being eliminated. This means that there will be twenty racers in the first race, nineteen in the second, eighteen in the third, et cetera, until the final four are determined. Those four will leave with no less than 25,000 Coins, with the grand prize being a total of 1,000,000 Coins, and the title of Mario Kart Champion. If you do not understand, I will explain the rules in person in the town square tomorrow, where the competition will officially start. Pack your bags, and I wish you two the best of luck.

~Lakitu, Race Administrator

For a while, a long while, Toad just stared, in shock at what he was reading. Then he dropped the paper hastily, and ran up to Toadette's room as fast as he could.

This could be the best series of races in his entire life.

To be continued...

**Kind of a short intro, I know. But the next races will make up for it (I hope)! Read and review, I want to hear what you guys think!**


	2. Meeting the Competition

**A huge shout out to Happy Yoshi for becoming my first reviewer on this story! I really want to hear if my writing is improving or not! If you can throw a review my way, it will be very much appreciated!**

**Sorry, this came very, VERY late. Schoolwork caught up with me. That is basically all that needs to be said. Anyway, sorry for the wait! I hope this is worth it!**

Chapter 2: Meeting the Competition

The night passed by without incident, but also very fast. Before the Toads knew it, they were out on the town square, with their competition. 18 other people were sitting in a circle around the podium, with no one on it. Yet. Toad decided to familiarize himself with who he was going up against, as he walked over to a paper on the podium, which listed the contestants.

Identification Number Competitor

1\. Mario

2\. Luigi

3\. Peach

4\. Toad

_Wait, I'm number four? Not Daisy? This is a step forward. _Toad thought to himself, as he continued down the list.

5\. Daisy

6\. Koopa Troopa

7\. Yoshi

8\. Birdo

9\. Paratroopa

10\. Toadette

_Paratroopa?_ Toad again thought to himself. _He hasn't been on the scene since Double Dash._

11\. Bowser

12\. Bowser Junior

13\. Funky Kong

14\. Dry Bowser

15\. Dry Bones

16\. Baby Mario

17\. Baby Luigi

18\. Baby Peach

19\. Baby Daisy

20\. Shy Guy

Toad nodded in understanding as he stepped down and took his seat in the circle.

"So we're going as individuals, right?" he asked to the person next to him, who just happened to be Mario.

"Yes, yes we are." he replied back. Lakitu came up to the podium.

"Welcome, all racers, welcome to the biggest racing championship in all the kingdom, the Champion's Cup. As you all might recall, I sent you guys a letter home yesterday confirming your placement. Your bags have been put into the Flower Flier hotel where you will be staying for the remainder of the cup. Is there anyone here who needs clarification on the rules so far?"

There was five seconds of silence.

"Okay, then." He continued. "Races will be held every other day, and the courses will be chosen at random from our lineup we have. During the interim, you will have a chance to run your daily lives, get to know each other, and have a few practice races. Time Trials can be attempted at any time from the main room. Records will be updated when we can update them, race and Time Trial wise. As mentioned in your letter, the last place finisher of every race will be eliminated. The last racer standing will win the grand prize of one million coins!". Everyone cheered loudly at this.

"Alright. So, time for you guys to pick your karts. There are some garages over there." Lakitu pointed to twenty garage doors, all emblazoned with the player's emblem. They were in order by ID number. In this case, Toad's was fourth from the left, while Toadette's was right in the middle. There was a control panel to the side of each one. Everyone rushed over.

"Remember, you can change your kart or bike at any time between races." Lakitu mentioned. Toad was having a hard time choosing.

"Let's see, Mini Beast or Bullet Blaster?" The latter was often known as the Bullet Bike, but since one racer's astounding performance with it, it had been nicknamed the Bullet Blaster. The Mini Beast was yellow, with a flame decal on the sides and back. It had four large exhaust pipes coming out of the back. The Bullet Blaster, however, was much more skimpy, with a bike that looked just like a Bullet Bill. It was colored blue, with a little bit of white on the back. The wheel's rims were blue. Toad looked at the bike's stats, and his eyes went wide.

"Two hundred kilometers per hour? And that's without a mushroom! Man, this baby can go fast!" There were also other karts, karts that were normally only available to other players, but were scaled down so Toad could fit. He took a look at the Mach Bike, but then shook his head.

"Not as fast, but I might use that later. Probably in Delfino Square, with all the corridors. For now, this Bullet Blaster is calling my name." He selected the bike, and it came up on a platform, rising up from an underground storage to the floor of the garage, right in Toad's view. His eyes went wide a second time.

"Wow, this bike looks even better in person!" Just then, Lakitu spoke again.

"The first race is tomorrow, and your selected karts and bikes will be right here waiting. Good luck, you guys, and I will see you in Luigi Circuit!" He floated away.

To be continued...


	3. Toad's First Trial

Chapter 3: Toad's First Trial

Every character but Toad left for the hotel. Before Toadette left, she ran to him to confirm that he wasn't leaving just yet.

"So you're staying here?"

"Yep. Going to give this baby a test drive." He patted the Bullet Blaster, and Toadette giggled.

"Okay. See you in an hour!" She trotted off, her pink locks flowing behind her. Toad just smiled in her direction. The he turned to his bike and retrieved the keys attached to the seat. He turned the keys in the ignition, and the engine started up.

"Let's see if I can do this." He stepped on the gas while holding the brake, the engine revving up. "Rocket..." He waited about two seconds, then released the brake and slammed the gas to the floor.

"Star-" Midway through the word 'start', the Bullet Blaster shot out on the test raceway at 150 kilometers per hour.

"Woah!" Toad could barely take control at first, but then skidded to a stop. "Let's try that again, shall we?" He attempted the technique again, this time gaining control sooner. This went on for about half an hour, until, finally, he could turn right when the boost occurred.

"Okay. Now for a Time Trial." Toad took the bike and drove it carefully to the Time Trial station, which was right next to the hotel. The course he attempted was Mushroom Gorge, his second favorite. He lined up at the starting line, waiting for the lights to light up.

**3...** The first red light was lit.

**2...** Then the second. Toad tried to attempt the same Rocket Start he performed earlier, as he pressed the gas and brake at the same time. "Rocket..."

**1...** The final red light lit up, and Toad leaned forward, ready for the sudden speed boost that would follow.

**Start!**

"Start!" Toad finished the technique, and shot forward, starting the race with a bang. The first lap came and went with no problems. Near the end of the lap, Toad used one of the Mushrooms he had to cut across the grass at the final U-turn. His speed momentarily increased, and he wasn't even flooring the gas pedal! When the boost was close to wearing off, he completed the turn and used the final dregs of the boost to accelerate some more, ending the lap. The second and third laps went pretty much the same, with some bumps along the way, but Toad was surprised at how fast the bike was.

When he finished, he saw his time emblazoned digitally across the starting line. 2:02.241. A new record! He pumped his fist, whooping.

"Boom! Now that's what I call speed!" He exited the course, and looked at the leaderboard. He saw his name and time at the top. Technically, that was as planned, since no one else had done a Time Trial yet.

"We'll see if anyone can beat that." Toad said to himself, as he left the building, put the bike back in its garage, and headed to the Flower Flier suite. There, he saw Koopa Troopa about to leave.

"Hi, Koopa!"

"Hey, Toad." Koopa greeted back.

"Why are you leaving?"

"Time Trial. On Mushroom Gorge."

"Hey, that was the one I raced on!"

"Oh, cool! What was your time?"

"Two minutes, two." Koopa gasped.

"Two minutes and two seconds? Man, that's fast!"

"Good luck trying to beat that." Toad said back, and Koopa chuckled.

"What kart did you use?"

"The Bullet Blaster."

"Oh, I'm using the Bit Bike."

"That's a good one, too."

"Well, I better leave. Wish me luck!" Koopa said good-bye as he rode away. Toad just walked inside, and he saw a sign to the right.

"An arcade?" he said to himself, as he walked down the corridor away from it. "This place has everything! I'll wait, though." He walked to the elevator, and pressed the button for Floor 6. The doors closed, and the elevator began its ride up the shaft. To entertain himself, Toad whistled the very famous Starman theme as he went up. When the elevator stopped, he heard an audible _ping_ and the doors flew open. There, he saw the floor that was covered in velvet carpet, and the walls were that color as well. The furniture was also ornate, with columns that resembled the Roman style of architecture with their swirly embroiderment.

"Quite fancy." He walked down the hallways, taking in the decorations. "Let's see... seventy-two, seventy-three..." He was counting off the room numbers. "Seventy-nine... Aha! There's number eighty-one!" Indeed, room 81 was different from the others, as it had a plague near the doorbell, which read:

Champion's Cup Housing - be advised

There were 19 other rooms like it throughout the hotel. In fact, room 82, directly across the hall from his, was one of them.

"I think I know who has that one." he said to himself. He walked across the hall and knocked on the door. _Tap, tap, tap._ No answer. He tried again. _Tap, tap, tap. _

"Hmm. No answer." he said to himself, as he walked back to his room, took out the key card, and opened the door. The room had two beds, although it was accomodating only one person. There was a TV opposite them, and a computer on the nightstand. Toad walked over to the chair, turned on the computer, and checked his ShroomMail. There were two new messages. One read:

Toad,

If you have came back from your Time Trial, you will probably notice that I am not in my room. I'm in the arcade instead. Come join me if you want!

~Toadette

Toad smiled, and replied to the message. His reply read:

I have to eat first, but sure I'll come! Meet me there in a half hour!

He checked his inbox again, and opened the other message. Looking more official, it read:

Toad,

You have recieved a Time Trial rival request.

Player: Koopa

Course Last Played: Mushroom Gorge

Time: 2:08.973

_Close, but not close enough._ Toad thought. Koopa hadn't beaten him yet. There were two buttons at the bottom of the e-mail, one reading 'Approve', the other 'Decline'. He clicked the former, then closed the computer and walked out, being sure to lock the door behind him. He stepped into the elevator and traveled down.

Then, between the second and third floors, the elevator came to an abrupt stop. Before the mushroom citizen had any time to react, the lights went out.

To be continued...


	4. Shadows of Survival

Shout out to all the reviewers! The races will start on Chapter 5 or 6.

Chapter 4: Shadows of Survival

_Ball it out, and let the body shots_

_Ball it out, and let the body shots_

_Ball it out, and let the body shots, shots, shots_

_Turn down for- *kssssssttttt*_

Static pierced Koopa's radio.

"What?" Koopa pounded the radio with his hand, but the static continued. He turned to Shy Guy, who was sitting beside him. "Sure looks like a power outage."

"You think?" he replied back, gesturing to the arcade with his tiny, white hands. The former had some machines powering off. "The arcade is down, too!" As if on cue, the lights went out. "Really?" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. An announcement played over the intercom.

"We are experiencing electrical difficulties, and are very sorry for the inconvenience. The power will be back on as soon as possible." A beep signified the end of the message. The last arcade machine went out, and an exasperated groan soon followed.

"Seriously?" A girl's voice penetrated the silence. "Right when I was beating the stage, too..." She stepped towards the two minions, revealing herself to be none other than Toadette. Koopa stood up.

"Well, I guess we'll just sit here and wait, huh?" The other two nodded, and they all sat down. "You guys do know the race is at noon tomorrow, right?"

"Right." Shy Guy replied. "Everyone knows that." He turned to Toadette. "And you. I've never seen you as an... arcade type of person. What are you doing down here?"

"Well..." Toadette replied, "One, I've always been a fun-loving type of person. And to answer your question, I'm waiting for Toad." Koopa had a shocked look on his face.

"Wait a minute!" He stood up and rushed towards the elevators.

"Hey, wait for me!" Toadette ran after him.

"Me too!" Shy Guy soon followed.

* * *

Back in the elevator, Toad had one hand gripping the rail loosely, the other behind his head. He was once again whistling the Starman theme as he waited for the power to turn back on. Then he saw a red phone near the buttons.

"Well, no duh!" he exclaimed, and face palmed himself. "Why didn't I see this?" He walked towards the phone, picked it up, and dialed 0. A man's voice soon picked up and spoke.

"Flower Flier front desk, what can I help you with?"

"Sir, I'm trapped in elevator two. Is there anything you can do?"

"Yes, of course. We'll have the power back on soon. In the meantime, just stay calm. If worse comes to worst, we'll send staff up there."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." With that, the call ended. Toad resumed his place, and sighed. _This'll take a while..._

* * *

Koopa had reached the elevator, with the other two close behind. Toadette was confused.

"What happened?"

"Toad wouldn't have come down this slowly. Also, I heard someone got trapped in the elevator." Toadette pieced it all together.

"Well, someone's got to save him! Come on!" She pressed the 'up' button. The doors opened to an empty shaft. They were gear-powered, so they did not need electricity to open. They looked up, and they saw the bottom of the elevator, two floors above them.

"We have to get up there!" Shy Guy mentioned, and they took the stairs to the third floor. When they got there and opened the door again, the elevator was slightly below them.

"Darn it!" Koopa exclaimed. "How are we going to rescue him now?" He then saw a switch on the wall, with a plaque next to it. It read:

Reserve Power Switch

It was only seven feet from them, at the other side of the shaft.

"We have to jump." Koopa stated. Shy Guy backed down in horror.

"I'm not jumping... what is it, eight feet?"

"The elevator is right below you." Toadette reassured. It's not like you're going to die."

"Fine." Shy Guy said, and prepared to jump. "One, two, three!" He jumped from the ledge, but fell short by two feet. "Dang it!"

"Here, let me." Koopa prepared himself. He jumped, and tried to hit the switch with his shell. It went just to the right, and clattered on top of the elevator. He mumbled something as he went to get it.

"Well, I guess it's up to me." Toadette readied herself. Just then, two hotel employees stormed up to the third floor, and saw her preparing to jump into the open shaft.

"Hey, you! Just what do you think you're doing?" Toadette turned to them.

"What do you think? I'm saving the person in the elevator, to whom I am very closely related with, thank you very much." The two workmen fell silent, and walked away. She stood again, back to the opposite wall. Taking a running start, she jumped, hit the switch with her hand, and landed on her feet. Just then, the elevator started to move. All three competitors held on, as it traveled down the shaft to its intended destination.

* * *

Toad was directly below them, and just before the elevator started moving, he heard a _thump_ above him. He looked up for a second, then realized the lights had turned back on.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, just before the elevator began to move again. Then he heard more thumps. "What's going on up there?" he asked, in a firm tone. Suddenly, a hole in the roof of the steel elevator appeared, from a secret door being opened. Toad was shocked to see three familiar faces jump down, one most of all. The elevator stopped and the doors to the first floor opened, but he still stood there, speechless.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, bewildered.

"Something only a fellow competitor would do." Koopa replied back. They all embraced each other, glad to see that they are still in the competition. Shy Guy pulled away first. Then Koopa did the same. Reluctantly, Toadette pulled away last, after a full minute like that. Then Toad spoke up.

"Who wants to do an air hockey tournament?"

"Me!" the other three replied in unison, and they all rushed towards the arcade.

To be continued...


	5. Luigi Circuit

**The race has come! Enjoy! Sorry for the huge hiatus. School started for me, so yeah. Sorry guys. Hopefully I can do better!**

Chapter 5: Luigi Circuit

"Hello, everybody, and welcome to the first ever Champion's Cup, where twenty of your favorite racers battle it out for the title of Mario Kart Champion, and the million coin prize. I'm Matt, along with my co-host, Steven, and we're going to bring you live coverage from the racing field of Luigi Circuit." The race had finally come. In just fifteen minutes, the racers would be out on the track, whizzing by to screaming fans. "Everyone is excited for this, including the racers. And speaking of the racers, they're coming out right now. The lucky first four get their own introductions, starting with the infamous man in red, Mario!"

The stadium practically lit up with applause and cheers as Mario rode out on his Wild Wing, taking the first starting position.

"Next, taking position number two, the Green Thunder, Luigi!" Steven provided the introduction this time.

More applause followed as Luigi drove to the second starting block on his Mach Bike.

"Third, the princess in pink, Peach!" This was Matt again.

Peach rode out in her track suit, also on a Mach Bike, to thunderous cheers. She was the ruler of the kingdom, after all.

"And finally, the first rookie to ever get an introduction..." The audience murmured, wondering who this could be.

"The Mushroom Warrior, Toad!" He rode on his Bullet Blaster, but instead of the cheers he expected, only light applause followed him, except for a small section reserved for his fans. _Oh, I'll show them._ he thought. _Once this race starts, I'll show them!_

"Seems like not many people are cheering for him, Matt." Steven mentioned.

"To be expected from a walk-on, Steven. However, I firmly believe that everyone does have an equal chance of winning this. Now, without further ado, let's meet the other competitors!" The rest of the lineup filed to their positions, and applause followed. The race administrator, Lakitu, floated up atop the starting line.

"Listen, guys. I'm very proud of all of you for making it here. I want a good, clean race. We're here to have fun. Now get out there!" He raised his signal light. The cheers died down to silence.

"Looks like the race is about to start!" Steven announced. The first light lit up.

**Three... **Sounds of revving engines filled the air.

**Two...** The revving still ensued, with one engine humming over all the others. "Rocket..." a person began, but the others didn't know who.

**One... **The competitors looked at each other, then focused on the asphalt road ahead, turning smoothly to the right ahead of them.

And then...

The moment came.

**Start!**

"Start!" the same person shouted, and the officials were surprised to see Toad rocket out of the starting line, pulling ahead.

"Looks like Toad isn't as incompetent as he seems to be, folks, with a perfect start!" Matt exclaimed. The racers went around the first turn, the second, the third.

"We're through Lap One, and it seems Toad, Mario, and Peach making up the top three, with Shy Guy, Dry Bones, and Paratroopa making the bottom three so far. But as you guys all know in Mario Kart, it is still anyone's game!"

At the straightaway of the second lap, Mario had a Green Shell in hand, and threw it right at Toad about fifty meters ahead. Toad looked back, and swerved to the side, causing the green to fly in front of him and bounce off a wall. It warped off five times in front of him and broke.

"Toad narrowly avoiding a green from Mario there. A lot of action in the middle of the pack, with the back three still the same, having their own battle." Matt explained. Shy Guy got a Star and breezed through the other two, getting out of the double digit positions, now in 8th out of 20. At the final turn, Toad's lead was shortened by him slipping on a banana cleverly placed between the boost panels.

"Here it is, folks! The final lap!" Steven announced. A Bob-Omb went off in the middle of the pack, sending two racers into the air with its fiery explosion. Toad was still in first, but only by about ten meters now, as Mario was slowly closing in on him. Another green shell in hand, he threw it off course, but on the same straightaway. Toad tried to dodge, but it bounced off a wall and hit the mushroom racer. He flipped over, and continued racing, but Mario had already passed him.

"Looks like the competition for first place is heating up! Mario takes back the lead with a second green shell! Can the newcomer take it back from the veteran before the race is over?" Matt asked, as the fans watched in wonder. Toad got another green shell from the last item box of the lap. Mario was already making the final turn. Then Toad had an idea.

He threw the shell between the pipes in the sand at the final turn. The shell bounced off the pipes and flew back out on the track, where Mario was just completing the turn. Due to his speed, the shell was almost unavoidable, as Mario hit it and flipped over.

"Toad with a textbook play at the last turn of the race! Can he win this right here?" Steven asked, excited. Toad zoomed up behind Mario, bumped him into the wall, and crossed the line in victory.

"And there it is! The newcomer wins! What a race! Looks like the crowd has a reason to believe in him now! The middle of the pack now finishing the race here, with veteran Bowser and his son Bowser Junior claiming the eighth and ninth spots. Now let's look at the back. The last place finisher gets eliminated, so let's see who that will be. It is between Paratroopa and Dry Bones, a close match indeed."

Dry Bones cut the inside of the last turn instead of taking the boost panels, while Paratroopa did not. This saved the former some time, but not enough, as the latter had already finished the race.

"And it looks like Dry Bones is the first competitor to leave the competition. A valiant effort to catch up, but not enough. The audience clapping for him, and rightfully so." The audience was indeed clapping as Dry Bones got off his Bit Bike and headed for the grass area where the rest of the racers were waiting.

"Let's give another hand to our first elimination, Dry Bones!" Matt coaxed to the audience, which did. They were all out on the grass now, as Dry Bones took a bow, shook hands with Matt and Steven, and sat down in the stands.

"As for the rest of you, you nineteen racers are still in the game. Great job, all of you. I hope to see you guys again for the next race! Also, the first place finisher does get another thing." Toad stepped forward and Matt walked up to him, handing him a slip of paper.

"You all may not know this, but that is a check for 1,000 Coins." Matt announced, and a Toad whooped in glee. The audience applauded. "I will hand that to the first-place finisher every race. Strive for it, and you may be able to get it. For Steven and the competitors, I'm Matt, and we'll see you all next time in the Champion's Cup. Good night!" He turned off the camera as everyone applauded.

"Unfortunately for you guys, it is time to head back to the suite. Take your karts and bikes, and I'll see you all in the next race. Good night." The racers zoomed away, as Matt smiled and walked to his own vehicle in the distance.

To be continued...


	6. First Night

Chapter 6: First Night

Dry Bones trailed behind the rest of the pack as they got back to the hotel.

"Do I still get to be in the hotel?" he asked, his bones clacking as he spoke.

"Yeah." Koopa reassured.

"Okay, good." Dry Bones hopped off his Bit Bike. "I'm off to bed; I'm exhausted after that. See you all later." The pack said their scattered goodbyes as the eliminated skeleton went up the elevator.

"WHO WANTS AN ARCADE PARTY FOR FINISHING THE FIRST RACE?" Mario shouted out of the blue, and everyone cheered. The nineteen remaining competitors ran to the arcade, each playing a game. Only Toad and Mario stayed behind to evade the initial chaos.

"Hey, Mario?" Toad asked to get his attention.

"Yes-a, Toad? What is it?" Mario asked, letting his Italian accent show for now.

"Good race back there." Toad smiled. "You were really close to winning."

"Heh, I got-a second anyway." Mario clarified, chuckling. "Why aren't you playing with-a her?" He pointed to Toadette, furiously working at the levels of the kingdom's version of Time Crisis, 'Mushroom Crisis'.

"I just wanted to evade all those people." Toad pointed to the air hockey table, where about ten competitors were crowded around and whooping with each new goal.

"Yeah, I guess I did too." Mario chuckled again. "Say, did you do a Time-a Trial on Sky-a Garden yet?"

"No, I haven't. That course is really cool though!" Toad smiled.

"Well, I think you should, because-a given the course's-a popularity, it might get picked for one of the-a races. Just a thought."

"Yeah, I guess. I'll probably do it in the morning though." Toad said, clasping his hands together. "I like the music on that course too." He started humming the track's music. Mario chuckled once more. The air hockey party whooped loudly.

"Koopa Troopa, you are the MAN!" Shy Guy pat Koopa's shoulder. "Seven to zero?" Koopa nodded and chuckled shyly. Mario walked away, and Yoshi walked from the hockey table to take his place.

"Oh, hi Yoshi." Toad smiled again.

"Hi, Toad." Yoshi smiled back.

"Those guys sure are passionate about hockey as of late." Toad giggled and pointed to the hockey table.

"You got that right." Yoshi chuckled.

"What place did you get in the race?"

"Fourth." Yoshi replied. "Luigi _barely_ edged me out."

"Aww, too bad."

"Isn't it? But it's okay." Yoshi smiled. "I did good."

"Yeah." Toad smiled back. They watched the game for a few minutes in silence.

"Why did you come here in the first place, Toad?" Yoshi asked. "I mean, what motivated you to get here, to be in the Champion's Cup?"

"Well..." Toad contemplated this for a minute. "It's just that I wanna prove myself out here, but also to have fun and watch other people have fun. This championship can get pretty competitive, especially at this level, but it's all in good fun, right?"

"Yeah, that's exactly right." Yoshi smiled. "I think that way too, Toad."

"Then I think we'll make a good team." Toad giggled.

"I think so too." Yoshi smiled and wagged his dinosaur tail. Toad giggled at that. The hockey team came up to Toad.

"Hey, Toad, you haven't played yet." Koopa brought up. "Why don't you play a round?"

"Well, I don't see why not." Toad said, chuckling shyly as he walked to the table and gripped the puck in his hand. He looked across to see his opponent, none other than Luigi.

"Let's-a go, Toad!" Luigi said his trademark line and Toad giggled.

"You'd better be ready!" Toad smashed the puck into the goal when Luigi wasn't paying attention, earning him an easy point. The crowd whooped. The game went on, Luigi scoring with a clever bank shot on the next round. Soon it was six to five, Toad in the lead.

"One more point and you'll win this." Koopa whispered in his ear. Toad smiled and nodded. He banked the puck off the wall. However, it misaligned, bouncing off the corner of Luigi's goal, causing it to skew awkwardly. Luigi hit it, and Toad wasn't ready for the change in course, the puck sliding into his goal. Everyone oohed.

"Sudden death!" Someone shouted. The people at each end of the table looked at each other with a friendly but competitive gaze. Toad tried to perform another bank shot, but Luigi countered and the puck warped off the opposite bank. It hit the side of the table, but it didn't have enough speed; it slowed down just short of Toad's goal. He smirked and slammed it straight on, aiming for the goal, but Luigi was there ready, blocking that too. The puck maintained its speed and warped off the walls of the table, shooting just to the right of Toad's goal. He then trapped the puck between his hitter and the table, bringing it to a dead stop. He brought it up to where he could align his shot correctly, then fired. Luigi was blocking the center of the goal, meaning he wasn't ready for it to slip in the side of it to score the final point. The crowd whooped.

"That's how you play hockey, right there!" Koopa whooped and pat Toad's shoulder. He just looked up and smiled. The party went on for a couple hours, until the analog clock in the lobby read 8:30 p.m. That was when everyone said their goodbyes and went up the elevator to their respective rooms, the Toads included. After the elevator ride up to the sixth floor, Toadette hugged Toad goodbye and walked in her room without a word. Toad just smiled and walked in his room also, soon drifting off to sleep in there, ready for another day.


	7. Speedsters

Chapter 7: Speedsters

A yawn came from Room 81 as Toad woke to start the third day of the cup overall. His tiny hand shut off the blaring alarm as he got dressed and performed his morning routine. Then he checked his computer to see if he had any Time Trial requests. He did. The e-mail read:

Toad,

You have received a Time Challenge.

Player: Koopa

Course: Baby Park

Time to Beat: 1:00.379

Toad smiled. "You think this is a challenge? I can do that with my eyes closed." he chuckled, as he accepted the challenge and closed the computer. He walked out of his room and proceeded down the elevator. He saw Koopa sipping a cup of warm milk by the entrance of the hotel.

"Did you see my challenge, Toad?" He asked.

"Oh, sure I did. I was just about to walk over there and see if I could beat it."

"You sure you can beat a minute? Each lap has to be faster than..." Koopa did the math in his head. "Around twelve seconds."

"Come on. Twelve second laps? I can do eleven seconds on every lap, easy." Toad stated.

"Well, then let's have a bet. If you can get fifty-five seconds - that's eleven per lap - or less on your first try, I'll give you fifteen coins." Koopa challenged.

"You're on!" Toad agreed, and the two shook hands.

Half an hour later, the two were in Baby Park. Toad was up at the starting line with his Bullet Blaster. The starting line emblazoned the best record on itself; 1:00.379, just as Koopa had set.

"You ready?" Koopa asked Toad as he put on the finishing touches to his bike.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Toad answered as he hopped on. The lights turned blue, meaning that the countdown to begin the race was about to start. The reason was because without that warning, the machine that ran the Time Trials would start the trial without the racer knowing, resulting in false times. Then the red lights came.

**Three... **Toad revved up his engine.

**Two... **"Rocket..." he began.

**One... **Koopa waited in anticipation.

The green lights showed on the signal.

**Start!**

"Start!" Toad zoomed out of the starting line and started the race off well. He zoomed through the first lap, the track very short - only in the shape of an oval - being the reason the race had five laps instead of the usual three. He was drifting as best he could, trying to stay on the inside curve of the track. Toad passed the finish line and began lap 2, while the lap time displayed in the starting line.

"10.934", the machine read. _Barely. _Koopa thought. The second, third, and fourth laps came and went, the machine showing times for all three:

"10.857".

"11.720".

"10.646".

The final lap came. Toad zoomed around the track, using a Mushroom on the final stretch to fly across the finish line. He skidded to a stop, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Phew! All that racing makes you hot." He giggled. He waited for the time to be calculated. First the lap time showed.

"10.744".

"Good, good..." Toad said.

"But will it be enough?" Koopa asked. The machine displayed the total time on its display, which read:

"Total: 54.901".

"Oh, wow!" Koopa exclaimed, as Toad whooped and pumped his fist.

"That's how it's done around here!"

"Hey, setting my record was hard too! You made that look easy!" Koopa chuckled.

"What can I say? I have the need for speed." Toad whispered, and they both laughed. They went back to the hotel suite, Toad driving slow for Koopa, who unfortunately had to walk. When they arrived, Koopa reached into his shell.

"Well, a deal's a deal." he sighed, but Toad shook his head.

"You don't have to. I'm not a sucker for taking money from people." he explained.

"Well, we made a deal, Toad." Koopa reiterated, confused.

"I know."

"Then why-" Koopa began to inquire, but was cut off.

"I mean, you shouldn't have to give your money to me just because I won a dumb Time Trial." Toad said, shrugging his shoulders and sitting on a velvet chair in the lobby they were in. "Even if I did want the money, I already have a thousand coins for winning that race. So what difference does it really make?"

"Well, I guess that's true." Koopa said, and pat him on the back. "I still owe you one then." He walked off.

"Where are you going?" Toad called.

"I'm going to get a pastry. You know those cross-ants or whatever?" Koopa asked, unintentionally mispronouncing the word.

"They're pronounced croissants, Koopa." Toad corrected, giggling.

"Oh, whatever. Anyway, they're sooooooo good." Koopa proclaimed, rubbing his belly for effect. "You should try some."

"Maybe I will." Toad chuckled as he walked up to Koopa. They both smiled at each other as they headed to the hotel cafe.

"I'd like a chocolate cross- I mean, croissant." Koopa said to the cashier.

"That'll be four coins." the cashier droned. Koopa handed them over. The two friends sat down at a table, waiting for their meal. While they were waiting, Toad saw another figure at a faraway table.

"I've been waiting forty-five minutes for my stupid latte! Where is your punctuality?" the figure yelled, evidently furious. Koopa looked at Toad, chuckling.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else after we get our food." he said. Toad just nodded in reply.

To be continued...


End file.
